There is a strong commercial interest in automotive consumer electronics which are installed subsequent to the manufacture of the automobile. For commercial acceptance, such consumer electronics are preferably low in cost, are easy to install by an unskilled consumer or by a semiskilled technician and are potentially retrofittable in a large number of automobiles on the market.
One consumer electronic device which is achieving wide commercial acceptance is an automotive security system. Some security systems include an electronic device which is connected in circuit with the automobile engine starting circuit for disabling the starting of the engine in an alarm condition. This may typically be accomplished by providing an open circuit or by restricting current flow between the automobile battery and engine starter circuit when an alarm condition is detected. One problem that has arisen in designing such an engine disabler is the identification of a simple, low cost means for installation of the disabler in automobiles equipped with a standard batter having post terminals and in automobiles equipped with a standard battery having nut terminals (i.e., having a terminal with a threaded opening for receipt of a screw connector). To make the engine disabler alternatively connectable to both standard battery terminal configurations, two different connector assemblies are required. This increases the cost and complexity of the disabler.